TWIN CITIES MARATHON FACING SPONSORSHIP WOES

Yesterday's Twin Cities Marathon was "forced by lack of
major sponsors to halve its prize purse from a year ago to
$100,000" -- lowest in its 13-year history. While the event
plans to "shore up a lingering $55,000 debt, it has watched as
major sponsors jumped ship -- the latest being Health Partners,
which pulled its $170,000 annual payment last winter." The only
major cash sponsor was the University of Minnesota Health System,
which gave $40,000 (Nolan Zavoral, Minneapolis STAR-TRIBUNE,
10/3).